Taste: Sweet fruit upfront, with an occasional- but not constant- hint of tartness, presumably
from the cherries. Definitely very "spicey / peppery" on the tongue, with the slightest hint of
hops near the close.

Feel: Spicy, slick

Overall: A fun / festive beer. The sweetness(honey) and cherries are definitely a hoot and of course the punch it packs @11ABV screams celebration. Not sure I would relish one every single day of the "12 days of Christmas," but having it indiscriminately scattered about the holiday period would certainly be a welcome addition to the seasonal beer rotation .

Enjoyed form a growler via Jungle Jim's in a snifter. This nice warmer pours a nice ruby red with a touch of brown, a decent head of white foam that subsides to a thin ring and nice lacing. Nose of sweet candy sugar, medium strong yeast, spice, and strong alcohol. Flavors exceed the nose with brown sugars to the front, cherries to the sides, and a touch of spicy herbal hops to the rear to cut through the sweetness. Slick mouth feel, full body, and warming alcohol on the sides and rear. What's not to like? An excellent brew from an excellent brewery.

Bottled 09/29/15 at 45 degrees into plastic hotel glass
$ 16.90/six pack (Includes tax) ($ 0.234/oz) at Denny’s Beer Barrel in Clearfield
Aroma – kind of yeasty, horned directly from bottle
Head small (< two cm, aggressive pour), off white, fizzy, diminishing to two mm ring and partial layer
Lacing – none, but the plastic may be why
Body medium reddish-brown, clear
Flavor starts sweet, no cherry in either nose or palate, just on the thinner side of syrupy, ends with a hint of medicine or cough syrup; no hops, no malt, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate medium, almost syrupy, soft carbonation

This looks and smells amazing. As suggested, drank out of an oversized wine goblet. Strong and smooth. Does have a faint cough-syrup aftertaste, so sadly the "taste" category is its lowest. However, i would gladly drink this beer at any winter-time holiday.

Clear reddish amber with a finger and a half of tan head that's quick to dissipate. Medicinal cherry, dry yeast and some honey sweetness on the nose. They all carry over to the taste, along with some pepper, subtle Christmas spices like nutmeg and warming alcohol. Thin, slightly oily mouthfeel. Pretty good.

Pours a lovely reddish color fitting of the holiday season. You can actually smell the warming character on the nose - definitely yeasty, but in a good way. All the typical qualities of a really nice Belgian but with the wonderful flavor imparted by the cherries and honey.

Red like a glass of cherry juice with a head that doesn't stay around. The smell is boozy with yeasty tones. Musty, earthy, cherry and honey with dark fruits and clove. The taste is typically belgian with clove, yeast and banna bread flavors but with the sweetness from the honey and the taste of cherries at the end. It is a little boozy and slightly thick. Pretty decent holiday beer that is a great cold night sipper.

Appearance: Clear ruby red color with a thin off white head that dissipates quickly

Smell: fruity belgian yeast esters, cherry, honey

Taste: A blast of those fruity esters with cherry and honey undertones

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied; Velvety smooth goin down with the alcohol hidden very well for 11% abv.

Overall: This is a sweet belgian, but i like sweet so im not bothered by it. Big fruity belgian yeast esters with nice cherry and honey notes. I was worried the cherry may be over the top and come off syrupy, but that wasnt the case. I put the other five bottles in my basement to see how they age

I have had this beer from multiple years at various ages. My absolute favorite was the 2014 at 14 months, but really everything after 8 months has been delightful. Aging really smooths it out and rings in the up front sweetness that younger bottles carry. One of my favorites

Appearance: Pours clear ruby-red with a thin white head. Not much lacing. Looks very nice.

Smell: Honey and medicinal cherry up front with a floral component and distinct alcohol presence. The combination of artificial cherry aroma and the sweetness imparted from the honey gives it a definite medicinal character which I'm not wild about.

Taste: While the underlying components are similar to the aroma, flavor-wise it is much more polished. Cherry is once again notable up front but does not come off nearly as artificial here and is overall more balanced with the rest of the profile. Bready malt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey are all present. Finish is still fairly sweet, but not nearly as sweet as the nose would suggest. Actually quite mellow and drinkable given the abv.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium body. Quite smooth.

Overall: This one is somewhat tough to review - it's very unique and the flavor is quite nice. If only the nose was as good...unfortunately it detracts a bit from the overall experience.

Bought this December 2012. Aged in a dark cellar. Over a few years your Elf will mellow and impart deeper cherry and mahogany flavor. It is delicious fresh, of course, but save a sixer for around 3 years! Drink it in the summer, too. Why the hell not?

First off the appearance catches your eye with the golden red color. Then you smell the sweetness of the honey and hing of cherries. Once you you taste it the cherries really come out and have a clean smooth finish especially for 11%!!

Amazing that 11% ABV can be so subtle. High marks for the beer's ability to subdue any hints of burn with a great balance of flavors from cherries to cinnamon to bready malt. A seasonal treat that could be enjoyed all year.

Beautiful Reddish amber. Small head in my pint glass. No Lacing to speak of.
This is the 3rd time of had it. This time I taste the cherry - big, right up front. I love cherries, but this is a bit much. Strong and full flavored. Syrupy sweet, and alcoholic. A bit overpowering, and a challenge to drink. I'm not looking for a beer to challenge me very often. I don't think I'll look for again. Not terrible, I don't hate it.

What a Fantastic Brew! this is one of those Beers, that as soon as you pop that top and smell it,your heart starts racing,and you just know it is going to be something very special ~and Indeed it is,the nose is sweet,with Honey and a hint of Cherries and malts,~the taste pretty much follows the nose,sweet[but not cloying] you pick up the Honey and though you do get a nice Cherry note, it is more in the background then in your face,and does not have that "Cough Drop" Medicinal taste you get with a beer like "Sam Adams Cherry Wheat"~taste more like fresh cherries,and it IS Tasty as Hell,also would never know this Beer is 11% A.B.V.,Because I do not ever get that alcohol burn or boozy tatse,but perhaps that is Because I drink a lot of High A.B.V. Strong Beer's and Ales~this is not a Beer you knock back with your buddies while watching the Game or playing Poker,this is a Top Notch [IMHO] World Class Brew,it is a Beer you Savor and take your time to enjoy it's Amazing Flavors and the brewer's Art,what a BEER! Cheers 2 All;]

One of the better beers I've had in the "holiday" genre. Pleasantly spiced and sporting a serious malt bill. I would have liked the noble hop bite to be more assertive, the spice notes I detected were more Belgian yeast than saaz peppery spice. Cherries and clove/cinnamon up front, with brown sugar on the back. This will be something I look forward to every winter.

I'm not a Belgian guy, but this nice. This has an very attractive, deep, ruby red appearance. the head is off white and extremely thin and scattered. Mostly, this smells like overripe bananas and very sweet candy liqueur. The taste, of course follows the smell, with cloves, and brown, overripe bananas with sugar. The mouthfeel is full(er) with medium carb.

Overall, I am impressed. This is the first time I am actually drinking one of these beers. Someone sent this to me as an extra and I thought I would drink it to make room in my refrigerator. This has probably opened up a new dimension in my beer drinking realm.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, cloudy, amber/mahogany color with a half of a finger of white head that quickly dissolved away into a halo of foam that gripped the sides of the glass and formed a few wispy clouds that settled over the top of the beer.

Aroma: Tons of fruit and yeast. Strong notes of cherries, and figs, followed by some spices of clove, honey, brown sugar and toasted malt, imparting notes of freshly baked fruit cake. Reminds me of a very fruity Belgian dubbel.

Taste: Delicious! Exactly like a very fruity Belgian dubbel. Strong notes of stone fruit, such as cherries, plums, prunes and figs, followed by some barn-yard notes of Belgian yeast and malt, finished with some toffee and brown sugar-like sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Chewy, with just a touch of carbonation to make an appearance. With and ABV of 11%, there is a significant amount of alcohol on the palate, imparting a very pleasant warmth.

Overall: This an excellent beer! I love the fruit and malt, which is balanced beautifully with the Belgian yeast. Strong bold flavors. Great Christmas beer! Hell, great beer period!